566 BRITISH OKIBATID^. 



rather densely haired, terminated by tridadyle, hetero- 

 dactyle claws. 



Abdomen. — Truncated anteriorly, pointed poste- 

 riorly, rather long-shaped, much rounded at the sides. 

 There is a row of about seven long, setiform, flexible 

 hairs on each side of the median line ; and another row 

 of two or three hairs nearer to the side of the abdomen. 

 The genital and anal plates are very singular, they are 

 not really separate, each genital plate having apparently 

 coalesced with the anal plate on the same side of the 

 body where the edges touch. The two genital plates 

 appear also to have coalesced at their posterior angles ; 

 and the antero -lateral terminations of the anal plates 

 are joined by four or five singular interlocking pro- 

 cesses from each side which look like rack-work. The 

 plates therefore appear not to open in the ordinary 

 way, but from their flexibility ; and the ovipositor is 

 extruded between the anterior extremities of the 

 genital plates. The plates project considerably, and 

 bear, the anal about five and the genital about six, 

 pairs of setiform hairs on their inner margins. 



Distribution. — The species is not common, but is 

 fairly widely distributed ; I have found it at Epping 

 Forest, at Dorking in Surrey, and at Stone in Stafford- 

 shire ; it lives in dead wood. It has been recorded 

 in G-ermany (near Regensburg). A very similar species 

 has been recorded in Sicily by Berlese,* who considers 

 his species to be identical with the Hoplopfiora decu- 

 mana of Koch (in which I do not agree with him) but 

 forms a new genus, Tritia, to receive it ; his species 

 is much larger, has an abdomen rounded jDOsteriorly 

 instead of pointed, and homodactyle claws instead of 

 heterodactyle ; otherwise it resembles the present 

 species. 



* ' Acari, &c. Ital.,' April, 1883, fasc. vi. 



